MEDSTAR II: JEDI HEALER by Michael Reeves and Steve Perry (Arrow, £6.99) : THE darker side of galactic war is revealed in the latest Star Wars saga of a fierce civil war between the Republic and the Separatists, which puts a mobile hospital unit on the front line in the swamp world of Drongar. Fast and furious action balanced by more than a touch of Mash-like morality.

STAR WARS: JEDI TRIAL by David Sherman and Dan Cragg (Century (17.99)

IN the seemingly eternal struggle of the Clone Wars, a supreme crisis point is reached when the million-strong army of separatist financier and warlord, Count Dooku, invades the planet Praesitlyn. The planet must be saved at all costs and a small rescue force led by Jedi Master Nejas the Halycon, with the help of young Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker, is despatched to almost certain death. When it comes to the galactic clash of good and evil, the cut and thrust of raw combat and a search for glory among the blood and guts of war, Star Wars stills lead the way.

THE HORNS OF THE BUFFALO by John Wilcox (Headline, £6.99)

HIGH adventure on the South African veldt as disgraced British officer Lieutenant Simon Fonthill seeks to redeem his honour on a special mission behind Zulu lines that ends with him fighting for his life at Rorke's Drift. By jingo, this Fonthill is a hero from the same mould as Cornwell's Sharpe and the good news is that he's set to march again.

IN THE NIGHT ROOM by Peter Straub (Harper Collins £17.99)

WRITER Willy Patrick is riding high after winning a prestigious prize but she is haunted by ghosts of a tragic past. Her fears mount when she hears the voice of her murdered daughter and her suspicions centre on her sinister finance.

Meanwhile, fellow writer Tim Underhill is plagued by demons of his own, including visions of a long-dead sister, and a meeting with Willy Patrick only seems to open the door to more horror. Master of the macabre Straub sits fear on your shoulder in a tale which is blacker than the night.

THE OCCUPATION by Guy Walters (Headline £18.99)

A HIGHLY charged tale of intrigue and deception, which starts in the days when the Channel Islands were under occupation and which still has a disturbing and sinister effect in the present day. In February 1945, the Germans are building a secret weapon to destroy London with the help of island collaborators. In June 1990, workmen building a hotel complex mysteriously fall sick and a new collaboration takes place to prevent the revelation of a deadly secret.

Guy Walters' thriller works on various levels and not only engenders a genuine sense of fear, but also disturbingly presents a number of 'what if?' propositions to test any conceptions of moral superiority.

Published: 02/11/2004